The English rock band is coming to Pechanga Arena in San Diego on March 5 and The Forum in Inglewood on March 11.

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English rock band Muse (pictured from left: bassist Chris Wolstenholme, guitarist-vocalist Matt Bellamy and drummer Dominic Howard) will bring its Simulation Theory World Tour to Pechanga Arena in San Diego on March 5 and to The Forum in Inglewood on March 11. (Photo by Jeff Forney)

Just weeks before Muse was set to kick off its Simulation Theory World Tour the band gave fans a sneak peek via social media at what the live stage show would look like. The English rock trio has become known for its extravagant live show and incorporating cutting edge technology to pull off a variety of absolutely over-the-top moments that are definitely memorable.

With its eighth studio album, “Simulation Theory,” which dropped back in November, the band not only tapped into but fully immersed itself in the world of science fiction, virtual reality and ’80s pop culture. When guitarist-vocalist Matt Bellamy, bassist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard shared teaser videos for the tour, they were filled with lots of synth music, neon, over sized drums, a gargantuan monster that looks like something straight out of “Alien” and Bellamy sporting a pair of retro-style wrap-around sunglasses, walking around on stilts inside a futuristic-looking robot.

“It’s just a big neon extravaganza,” Howard said during a recent phone interview while the band was down in Texas rehearsing just before the tour kick-off in Huston on Feb. 22. The jaunt comes to Pechanga Arena (formerly Valley View Casino Center) in San Diego on Tuesday, March 5 and then The Forum in Inglewood on Monday, March 11.

English rock band Muse (pictured from left: guitarist-vocalist Matt Bellamy, drummer Dominic Howard and bassist Chris Wolstenholme) will bring its Simulation Theory World Tour to Pechanga Arena in San Diego on March 5 and to The Forum in Inglewood on March 11. (Photo by Jeff Forney)

English rock band Muse will bring its Simulation Theory World Tour to Pechanga Arena in San Diego on March 5 and to The Forum in Inglewood on March 11. (File photo by Drew A. Kelley, contributing photographer)

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English rock band Muse (pictured from left: drummer Dominic Howard, guitarist-vocalist Matt Bellamy and bassist Chris Wolstenholme) will bring its Simulation Theory World Tour to Pechanga Arena in San Diego on March 5 and to The Forum in Inglewood on March 11. (Photo by Jeff Forney)

English rock band Muse (pictured from left: bassist Chris Wolstenholme, guitarist-vocalist Matt Bellamy and drummer Dominic Howard) will bring its Simulation Theory World Tour to Pechanga Arena in San Diego on March 5 and to The Forum in Inglewood on March 11. (Photo by Jeff Forney)

English rock band Muse (pictured from left: guitarist-vocalist Matt Bellamy, drummer Dominic Howard and bassist Chris Wolstenholme) will bring its Simulation Theory World Tour to Pechanga Arena in San Diego on March 5 and to The Forum in Inglewood on March 11. (Photo by Jeff Forney)

The cover of English rock band Muse’s eighth studio album “Simulation Theory,” which dropped on Nov. 9, 2018. The record is heavily influenced by science fiction, ’80s pop culture and virtual reality. (Image courtesy of Muse)

English rock band Muse (pictured from left: guitarist-vocalist Matt Bellamy, drummer Dominic Howard and bassist Chris Wolstenholme) will bring its Simulation Theory World Tour to Pechanga Arena in San Diego on March 5 and to The Forum in Inglewood on March 11. (Photo by Jeff Forney)

English rock band Muse will bring its Simulation Theory World Tour to Pechanga Arena in San Diego on March 5 and to The Forum in Inglewood on March 11. (File photo by Drew A. Kelley, contributing photographer)

English rock band Muse (pictured from left: bassist Chris Wolstenholme, guitarist-vocalist Matt Bellamy and drummer Dominic Howard) will bring its Simulation Theory World Tour to Pechanga Arena in San Diego on March 5 and to The Forum in Inglewood on March 11. (Photo by Patrick McPheron)

English rock band Muse (pictured from left: drummer Dominic Howard, guitarist-vocalist Matt Bellamy and bassist Chris Wolstenholme) will bring its Simulation Theory World Tour to Pechanga Arena in San Diego on March 5 and to The Forum in Inglewood on March 11. (Photo by Jeff Forney)

“The whole show on stage, the look and everything about it, is really tuned in and matched with the world we’ve created,” he continued. “It matches the music videos, the artwork and us in the photo shoots we’ve done … the whole aesthetic of what we’ve portrayed this time around. The show is just a huge extension of that and people can now come and experience it in real life.”

Muse worked with director Lance Drake for the ’80s-infused music videos for songs off the album including “Dig Down,” “Something Human,” “Pressure,” “Algorithm” and “The Dark Side.” Howard said that making the music videos has been some of the most fun the band has had in years since they basically get to act like they’re in all of these insane virtual worlds or cameo-filled ’80s films.

To further help push the audience into the “Simulation Theory,” Muse also created a handful of computer games with which fans can strap on a VR headset at the shows and be transported directly into the various music videos.

“What’s cool about this whole album so far, at least for us, is that we’ve been slightly expanding the world of what music ultimately is with all of these different medias and platforms with the show being the culmination of all of it,” he said. “Ultimately we want to be able to put on the VR headset and we can be playing in your living room or something like that, so we’re kind of working towards that kind of experience.”

With eight albums and a lot of hits under its belt there are certain songs Muse consistently keeps in its live show though this time around it has added seven songs off of the new album and even punched up some of the older material, like “New Born,” off of its second album or “Showbiz,” the title track off of its 1999 debut, to include in the set.

“It’s really interesting to play them now because you remember what it was or what you think you felt back then and you’re playing it now with an entirely different and current feeling,” Howard noted. “It can almost feel like you’re playing a cover song and then you realize it’s your own so it is a bit of an odd feeling.”

“We’re already thinking about what we’re going to do next, far beyond this album and this tour,” he said. “Playing smaller environments (is) better (for less production) because if you are playing a big arena or a stadium with just musicians, you need to be Bruce Springsteen, basically. When we book the stadiums and arenas we just get excited and want to put all of this crazy stuff in there that ties in with the music, but doing something stripped down and more about the music and less about the big spectacle is something we’ll definitively do in the future, maybe even next time around. You can’t always keep doing the same thing. You need to mix it up.”

Kelli Skye Fadroski lives for entertainment. She’s worked at The Orange County Register since 2006 and has covered all things music, stand-up comedy, horror and more. When she’s not out reviewing a concert or interviewing some random famous person, she’s catching up on episodes of 'The Walking Dead,' somewhere sampling craft beer, enjoying Taco Tuesday or yelling at the contestants through the TV on 'Celebrity Name Game' for not knowing basic pop culture trivia. She’s also a diehard Detroit Lions fan.

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